I recently read a book called The Gift of Adversity and in it was a story about how the author (Norman Rosenthal, M.D.) was in a work environment that was just “ok”. He had a feeling he wanted to do something more, to make a change, and expand upon what he had learned at this given place of employment. Instead of following this feeling, he stayed and after some time he realized with new management and new structuring, he was essentially being pushed out. He then remembered the words of a colleague who had been trying to recruit him for another position.
“In order to leave, you need both a push and a pull. Right now, you have no push.”
How many of us can say that about taking that step into the life of our dreams? Sometimes our dreams pull at us quietly like a young child tugging at our hand to gently guide us into another room to play. As the pull gets stronger it can feel like a magnetic force pulling us into the future, yet our feet remain planted on the ground.
Why is that?
I think it is because we have settled into our reality for what it is. We have become friends with our lives as they are and think to ourselves “It’s not so bad.” But a “not so bad” life also doesn’t mean it’s passionate, exciting, and fulfilling.
I have heard people say they feel guilty about wanting what they want. Selfish for wanting something more than what they have. Mothers wanting a moment of peace, feeling guilty when they get it or feeling bad when they decide to do something that will fulfill their deepest desires like writing a book or starting a business.
Dreams are not selfish. They are natural, beautiful, and amazing. They are the reasons we have all the wonderful technological advances we have. A dream is just a thought fueled by passion and desire. Dreaming is what kids do without being taught to do so. They have wide open imaginations that exist in surround sound and technicolor. Ask a child what they want to be when they grow up and you will get a multitude of magical answers. It’s refreshing when you think about it because they think without limits. They want to flying superheroes by night and comic book authors by day. They want to save the world and everyone in it, never once thinking if it is possible. We could learn a lot from them.
So if you have your pull (and I assure you, you do), where is your push? For me it is knowing my full-time employment will be ending in a few months. The picture in my head looked a little different when I first thought about how my dreams would manifest. But who am I to question the push? It is here and by golly it is exciting! Am I a little uneasy in the not-knowing? I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t. Of course I am! But I am also excited to see what will come of it and have faith that it is all going to work out.
If you feel the pull, but need a little push to get you going, send me a message and we can get you started with a free coaching session. Let’s explore the amazing possibilities of what your ultimate dream could become. Are you ready?